Box-stuff assorting and assembling machine



Aug. 11, 192s.

G. A. SMITH BOX STUFF ASSORTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 7, 1924 14 SheetsSheet l INVENTOR 22o/9e cfm/'2%.

ATTORNEY Aug. l1, 1925. ,5-49,052

G. A. sMsTH BOX STUFF ASSORTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Aug. 1 1, 1925.

G. A. SMITH BOX STUFF ASSORTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Nov. '7. 1924 14 Sheets-Sheet 5 iNvENToR A George :5m/'777 ATTORNEY Aug. ll, 1925. 1,549,952

G. A. SMITH Box STUFF AssoRTING AND AssEMBLm'G 'magma Filed Nov. 7, 1924 14 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1925.

G. A. SMITH BOX STUFF ASSORTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHNE' Filed Nov. '2. 1924 14 Sheeis-Sheet INVENTOR eore 52h/'2%.

ATTORNE Aug. 11, 1925. 1,549,052

G. 'A. SMITH BOX STUFF ASSORTING AND ASSBMBLNG MACHINE Filed Nov. 7, 14 Sheets-Sheet '6 m ,407 105 INVENTOR eorge 52W/ff?.

1/ l 'LczlEL ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1925. 1,549,052

G. A. SMITH BOX STUFF ASSORTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Nov. '7, 1924 14 Sheets-Sheet 7 Aug. 11, 1925. d 1,549,052

G; A. sMrrH BOX STUFF AS0RTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Viii-19mm. v, 1924 14 Sheets-Sheet 8.

Aug. 11, 1925.

G. A. SMITH BOX STUFF ASSORTING AND ASSMBLING MACHINE n 14 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTOR eore 5m/'777.

Filed Nov. '7, 3.924

ATTORNE Aug. 1l, i925. 1,549,052

G. A. SMITH Box STUFF AssoRTING AND AssEMBLING MACHINE Filed NOV. '7, 1924 l4 sheetssheet 10 4%. w w Rm NN 0J www :www n f .mm Q

ATTORNEY ug. l1, 1925.

. G. A. SMITH BOX STUFF ASSORTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE INVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1925. '1,549,052

- G. A. sMnjH BOX STUFF ASSORTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 7, 1924 14 Sheets-Sht 12 ATTORNEY Aug. ll, 1925.

1,549,052 G. A. sMss-a BOX STUFF ASSORTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE Filed uw. v, 1924 14 sheets-.sheet 1s I @gx E VQ@ @E M f/\ /Il E L an 4f g j INVENTOR Allg. lll, 1925. I v

G. A. sMl'rH 1549'052 BOX STUFF ASSORTING AND. ASSEMBLING MACHINE,

INVENTOR f TTORNEY Patented uig. ll, i925.

theme52 rarest' cri-tics.

GEORG-E ANDREWS SMITH, 0F SOUTH HLL, VIRGINIA.

BOX-STUFF ASSORTING AND ASSEMBLING MACHINE.

Application led November 7, 1924. Serial No. 748,508.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, GEORGE A. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Hill, in the county of Mecklenburg and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Box-Stuff Assorting and Assembling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Generically the invention seeks to pro-v vide a relatively compact, relatively inexpensive, and practical mechanism, simple of operation and positive in its action in effecting the assorting, into predetermined standard widths, and the assembling, into predetermined combinations of standard widths, of box stud or shocks.

As is will known to those familiar with the manufacture of packing box forms, i. e.,

,ing the desired box form the side, top, bottom and end units, assembled as such for nailing, or for shipment 'oefore nailing, it is necessary that the shocks composing such forms be properly cut and dressed and matched to standard widths and that such standard widths be assorted into piles of like widths and that such assorted widths be assembled with such other assorted standard widths as will combine in makl aggregate width. As for example, the combination of an S inch standard width shook with a 6 inch standard width, or the combination of a 9 inch standard width shook with a inch standard width Vshook for forming a lli inch aggregate width box form. Heretofore it has been necessary that ali such assortment and assembly be made by hand, in order to be properly eective, thereby increasing the necessary cost per box form and diminishing the possible output of the industry.

lTherefore, more specifically, the invention resides in the provision of a machine for receiving or for being fed with miscellaneous standard width box shocks and for accurately assorting like widths of said shocks into compartments provided therefor and in such a manner as to place into immediately adjacent relation such combinations of shook widths as will assembie to provide the particular aggregate width of box form for which the machine was set at the start of operation thereof.

in its more detailed nature," the invention consists of supporting framework, an operating table, miscellaneous sized shook receivins herrera Shook Passage controlling estes,

endless shook conveyors, mechanism for driving said conveyors with an increasing and diminishing speed action, means for compensating for the change of speed and poweras relatesto the danger of breakage of parts, adjustable upper and lower intel.'- rupted and continuous trackways, box shook drops in said interrupted trackways, mam and supplemental shook receiving compartments under said drops, means for preventing displacement of the box shooks in course of travel, means for shifting the traveling box shooks from alignment with upper trackways to alignment with lower trackways, and means for insuring the proper dropping of the box shocks at proper times.

With the above and other objects in view which will hereinafter appear, the invention resides in those novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be rst fully described, then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete machine.

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the relative arrangement of the shook drops aud the main and supplemental shook receiving compartments. l

Figure 3 is a detail perspective view of the adjustable, central shook rest plates hereinafter specifically referred to.

Figure 4 is a similar view of one of the side baliie or guide plates mounted upon the front end of the machine and hereinafter specifically referred to.

Figure 5 is a detail side elevation of the rear end of the machine.

Figure 6 is a rear end View, parts being broken away and in section.

Figure? is a detail perspective view of one of the shook stock presser wings hereinafter referred to.

Figure 8 is a detail vertical longitudinal sectionof the rear end of the machine taken substantially on the line 8-8 on Figure 6.

Figure 9 .is a detail plan View of the said rear end of the machine.

Figure lO is a similar view of the front end of the machine.

Figure 11 is a detail vertical longitudinal section of the front end of the machine taken substantially on the line 11e-l1 on Figure 16.,

Figure 12 is a detail perspective view of the screw bearing nut on the front end of one of the adjustable guard rails hereinafter referred to.

Figure 13 is a similar view of the bearing nut on the front end of one of the stationary guard rails hereinafter referred to.

Figure 14 is a detail perspective view of one of the screw bearings mounted upon the ends of the continuous trackways hereinafter referred to.

Figure 15 is a similar view of one of the end bearings for one of the front guard rail adjusting screws hereinafter referred to.

Figure 16 is a vertical cross section of the front end of the machine taken on the line 16 16 on Figure 11.

Figure 17 is a detail longitudinal section. parts being in elevation, of one of the adjustable shook drop gates hereinafter referred to.

Figure 18 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 19 is a detail cross section on the line 19 19 on Figure 17, the flexible nose member being removed.

Figure 20 is a detail perspective view of one of the flexible nose members of one of the drop gates.

Figure 21 is a detail section illustrating the action of the pressure bar mechanism hereinafter referred to.

Figure 22 is a detail cross section taken on the line 22 22 on Figure 21.

Figure 23 is a detail plan view of one of the gear nests hereinafter referred to.

Figure 24 is a detail cross section of onev of the gear nests attached to its supporting angle iron.

Figure v25 is a detail plan view of one of the traveling shook shifting mechanisms hereinafter referred to.

Figure 26 is a detail side elevation thereof, parts being broken away and in section.

Figure 27 is a detail perspective view of one of the stop sleeves mounted upon the ends lof the shook shifter rocker shaft.

Figure `28 is a plan view of the portions adjacent the center of the machine.

Figure 29 is a detail cross section thereof, taken across adjacent the medial cross angle and which also illustrates the manner in which the shooks drop through into the receiving compartments.

Figure 30 is a detail section of the mechanism located at the rear of the machine, for vertically and laterally adjusting the adjustable guard rails, parts thereof being in elevation.

Figure 31 is a horizontal section taken on the line 31-31 on Figure 30.

Figure 32 is a detail perspective view of that part of the guard rail adjusting mechanism which is :slidably fastened to the cross 'angle iron which supports the guard rails.

Figure 33 is a detail perspective view of the screw bearing nut which cooperates with the part shown in Figure 32.

Figure 34 is a side elevation of the cross angle which forms the support for the upper rails at the rear of the machine.

Figure 35 is a somewhat diagrammatic face view and part section, which illustrates the manner of vertically adjusting the board passage regulating gate.

Figure 36 is a detail side elevation, parts being broken away and in section, of one of the conveyor chains and a conveyor' slat mounted thereon. l

Figure 37 is a horizontal section of the said chain.

Figure 38 is a detail perspective view of one end of one of the conveyor slats.

Figures 39 and 4l() are perspective views of one of the metal shook fall7 guides and the hanger therefor, respectively.

In the drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the ligures, 1 1 designate a pair of rear casting frames, which, together with a similar pair of front casting frames 2 2, form the principal means of support for the completely assembled mechanism.

The rear castings 1 1 carry, in suitable bearings thereon and near the top thereof, a cross orsprocket shaft 3. The front castings 2 2 carry a similar shaft l in a similar manner and the said shafts 3 4 are each provided, near their ends and inside the respective castings with sprocket members 5 5 and 6 6 respectively. The rear ordinary sprockets 5 5 are of greater diameter than the front or driven sprockets 6 6, and for providing for the desired parallel and relatively close relation of the oppositely traveling portions of the conveyor chains 7 7, which take over the said sprockets 5 5 and 6 6, I provide a pair of idler pulleys 9 9 suitably mounted upon stub shafts fixed to the casting frames 1 1 and in proper alignment with and adjacent to the said sprockets 5 5 as shown, (see Figures 5 and 8). The conveyor chains 7 7 are provided at intervals with conveyor bars or slats 8 projecting across at right angles from chain to chain and which serve to convey the box stuif or shook through the machine in a manner soon to be described.

FiXedly secured to each inside top face of the frame castings 1 1 and 2 2, and projecting continuously along the machine therebetween, are upper and lower chain carrying angles 10-10 and the said angles are provided with trackways 11 11 over which the chains 7 7 are guided while in the course of travel in conveying the shocks through the machine.

To provide for the proper driving of the conveyor chains 7 7, the mechanism may include a 'motor 12, upon the driving shaft of which is mounted a small pulley 13 llO which, through the belt 27, imparts rotary motion to a large pulley 14 mounted upon. a cross shaft 15 having suitable bearing in the frame castings 1 1, Iand which is provided, at the end opposite the pulley 14e, with a small pinion 16. Rotary motion, imparted to the shaft 15 as just described, is in turn imparted, through the small pinion 16, to a large spur gear 17 mounted upon a cross shaft 18 having suitable bearing in the frame castings 1 1 and which is provided, at that end which carries the gear 17, with an elliptical gear 19 which meshes with a like sized elliptical gear 20 mounted upon the projecting end of the sprocket shaft 3 before mentioned. The rotary motion thus imparted to the sprockets 5 5 lthrough the various elements 12, 13, 27, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and the elliptical gears 19 and 2O causes the conveyor chains 7 7 to travel with an increasing and diminishing speed throughout its course of travel, due to the action of the said elliptical gears 19 and 20. The purpose for so driving the chains 7 7 to provide the intermittently fastand slow motion will later be described (see Figures 5 and 6).

lt will be readily understood that as the speed of the chains 7 7 increases the power of drivedecreases, and that as the speed of the chains 7---7 is decreased the power of drive greatly increases, this being due to change of leverage resultant from the change of radii of the driving faces as the elliptical gears 19- 20 revolve. Though such occasions are rare it is possible for a box shook to become jammed in some part of the mechanism while in the course of its travel, due to the feeding of a defective board or the n'iisadjustment of some part of the mechanism, and it will be readily Linderstood that if this happened to occur during one of the slow travel intervals of the conveyor chains 7 7, during which interval the greatest driving power is being exerted, it would result in .great damage to or wreckage of the particular parts engaged.

To prevent all possibility of wreckage of the machine parts, as above described, I have provided a compensating mechanism. Upon the end of the shaft 18 opposite the end which carries the gears 17 and 19, is mounted, to rotate therewith, a cam member 21 which engages a cam roller 25 mounted on theupper endof a bell crank lever pivoted at 2dand comprising an upper arm 22 and a lower arm 23. The said bell crank is made so that its arms 22 and 23 may be adjusted relatively to the desired angle.' The lower arm 23 has rotatably mounted thereon an idler pulley 26 in engaging ali gnment with the transmission belt 27. By reference to Figures 5, 6 and 8, it will be seenl that when the elliptical gears 19 and 20 are meshing so as to impart the greatest power to the chains 7 7, i. e., during an interval of slow travel (see Figures 5 and 8) the cam member 21 will be engaging the roller 25 so as to allow the belt 27 to slack and slip in event of an emergency such as above outlined, but that when the elliptical gears are meshing so as to impart a fast travel interval to the chains 7 7, see Figure 6, the cam 21 will engage the roller 25 in a manner for effecting a rocking of the bell crank lever to the position indicated in dot and dash lines on Figure 5 to cause the pulley 26 to effect tightening action upon the belt 27 as shown. Thus, it will be seen that should a shook become jammed as above described, the motive power would simply be stopped without wreckage of parts or harmful effect, the slipping of the belt absorbing' all harmful shock during the high power intervals.

Fastened upon the tops of and extending across and beyond the rear frame castings 1 1 are a pair of angles 28-28 upon which is built a platform 29 for receiving the stacks of box shooks to be fed into the machine tosupport the same prior to such feeding. l

The several frame .castings 1 1 and 2 2 may berjoined by suitable cross braces 30, as shown in Figure 6.Y

Rigidly secured to the bottom faces of the upper and lower track angles 1.0-10, and on a plane with the fore faces of the rear frame castings 1 1, are upper and lower cross angles 31-31, the purposes of which will presently appear.

Another cross angle 32 is rigidly secured tol the bottom faces of the upper pair of track angles 10 1O and between these angles 32 and 31, upon suitable supporting members 3&1, is constructed a box shook stack receiving floor 33 upon either side of which is piled a stack of shooks for being fed one by one through the machine to be properly assorted and assembled in the desired manner.

Rigidly secured upon the top faces of and extending across and slightly beyond the upper fore corners of the rear frame castings 1 1 is another cross angle 35 and, rigidly secured centrally of the bottom face thereof is a rearwardly extended supporting bracket 36 upon which is adjustably secured a central shook stack resting table composed. of a pairof steel plates 37 37. The plates 37 37 are each provided. with longitudinal slots 38- 38 through which pass the retaining and tightening bolts 39 39 and which provide for lateral adjustment of the width of the said central rest table to meet the requirements of the feeding of different length shooks. Each of the said plates 37 37 have down turned end portions {iO-e0 which -form guide lli() anges for the stack of shooks as it is removed from the rest table and placed in proper position upon the particular end of the floor 33 of the hopper about to be described, see Figures 3, 8 and 9.

Rigidly secured to the rear face of the angle 35 and projecting vertically therefrom is a pair of angle irons 41--41. A pair of horizontally disposed angle irons 42-42 are secured to the bottom face of the angles 35 and the foremost one of the angles 28 and a pair of vertically disposed side or hopper forming plate 43 are rigidly secured to the inside faces of the angles 41-41 and 42-42 just described. The

n vertical angles 41-41 are joined at their top ends by another cross angle 44, as shown. Rigidly secured to and centrally of the upper cross angle 44 and the lower cross angle 35 is a center plate 45 which forms a part of the forward confines of the two sided hopper and which, together with the strap iron guide members 46 rigidly secured to the angle 44 and center plate 45, form guides for the pair of adjustable box shook passage controlling gates 47 which are each vertically adjustable to permit the passage of but a single box shook at a time. Slidably mounted upon the lower cross angle 35 and with the plate 45 and guide bars 46 acting as guides therefor, is a pair of gate controlling slide bars 51 each of which has a handle portion at its outer end, as shown, and have pivoted thereto, as at 50, a pair of parallel links 48 which are, in turn, pivoted at 49 to the respective control gate 47 and the said bars 51-51 are also provided adjacent their handle ends with a series of apertures so that the said bars, when moved longitudinally to make the desired increased or diminished box shook passage, may be pin locked to the vertical angles 41-41, as at 52--52, and thereby held to the desired adjustment (see Figures 6, 8 and 35).

Pairs of upper and lower bracket members 53-53 are rigidly secured to the upper cross angle 44 and to the cross angles 28- 28 respectively and the said brackets provide upper and lower pivots for a pair of pressure wings 54-454 for each hopper side and which, by reason of their spring connections 55 55, exert forward pressure upon the stack o-f shooks placed within the hoppers and force the said stacks against the control gates hereinbefore described, see Figures 7, 8, and 9.

From the drawings, it will be seen that the machine is built double-that is to sayit includes two sets of hoppers, trackways and box shook receiving compartments and such being the case it should be clearly understood that the single machine may be set to assort and assemble box shooks of two different form sizes and as the parts of one side of the machine are exact duplicates of those at the opposite side of the machine, the parts of but one side will be described in detail when such is possible.

As the individually handled box shook is carried forwardly along the machine by the respective conveyor slat 8, it is caused to travel over an interrupted and a continuous trackway, the relation thereof with the said interrupted trackway being always the same because of the relation of the side plate 43 with said interrupted trackway, while the said continuous trackway is laterally adjustable to suit the length of the box shooks being worked upon at the particular time.

The machine is provided, at the rear face of the front frame castings 22, with upper and lower cross angles 85-85 correspond ing in function to the cross angles 31-31 of the rear castings 1-1 and are likewise rigidly secured to the bottom faces of the upper and lower trackways 10-10, and, at regular intervals, one for each main box shook receiving compartment, other cross angles 58 are rigidly secured to the bottom faces of the upper and lower trackways 10-10, the purpose of all of which will presently appear.

Extending continuously and uninterruptedly over that length of the machine from the cross angles 31-31 at the front of the rear frames 1-1 to those 85 at the rear of the front frames 2 2, are upper and lower continuous trackways 56--56 and the said trackways are laterally adjustable over the angles 31-31, 58-58 and 85-85 in a manner soon to be described. The upper trackways are arranged with their upper or box shook engaging surfaces on a plane with the top of the hopper floor 33 so that the box shooks when passing olf that floor will move smoothly thereonto.

As before stated, the box shooks, in their course of travel through the machine, are conveyed over upper and lower interrupted and continuous trackways, arranged and adjusted so that the ends of said shooks project slightly beyond each said trackway (see Figures 1G and 29), the said upper and lower trackways being relatively arranged and formed as indicated in Figures 2 and 29 to provide for the shook assortment and assembling in the manner later to be described in detail.

Each interrupted trackway is composed of a plurality, two for each main hopper, of iixed track portions 57 which are bolted securely to the intermediate cross angles 58, as shown, with the rigidly fixed end thereof projecting slightly beyond the said angle 58 to form one limit of a box shook drop opening 70. and the said projected end is rounded oil on a large radius so that any slight off alignment which might exist when the box shook reaches its proper pocket and ltends to drop will not cause the said shook to hang and stop the motion of the conveying mechanisms.

From the drawings it will be seen that the drop openings 70 are adjustable to suit the dimensions of the desired assortment beingmade and each includes the fixed drop limit above described and a movable drop limit soon to be described. ln the practical development of the invention, the fixed drop limits, (see Figure 28) are arranged equidistant, in direction forwardly along the upper track and rearwardly along the lower track, while the movable drop limits, each having the same range of adjustment, are adjustably movable simultaneously in a manner soon to be described.

rlhe other end of each said fixed track member 57 projects longitudinally over the respective shook receiving compartment in a direction opposed to the direction of travel of the box shocks and, as the plan of arrangement is to have an upper outgoing or forward travel track and a lower return or rear travel track, it will be seen that the direction of projection of those parts 57 of the upper track are arranged directly opposite to those of the lower track. The parts 57 are bent downwardly as at 59 and have secured thereto supplemental abutment pieces 61 for forming proper abutment guides for the movable portions 62 of the interrupted trackway, the said portions 62 being longitudinally and slidably connected to the fixed portions 57 by pin and slot connections -63, as shown in Figures 17 and 18.

The far end of the member 62 is downwardly turned as at 6ft and is bifurcated to make provision for the `insertion and pivot, at 66, of a yieldable nose member 65 which includes abutment lugs 67, is spring connected as at 68 to the pin 63 for holding the said nose in proper horizontal relation with the track, and has a slightly rounded nose 69 which forms the movable or adjustable limit of the box shook drop 70 above referred to. The said nose is rounded as at 69 to avoid the presentation of a perfect right angle point to a board which may be |dropping on slight off alignment for reasons before stated.

As before stated, the movable parts 62 of the interrupted trackways are simultaneously adjustable, that is,-the width of all of the drops 70 may all be adjusted'at one and the same time and it is to be understood that the range of adjustment of all'the said movable parts 62 is the same by reason of the slots 60 thereof being all of the same length. The plan of the machine, however, is to have the drop openings 7 0 always, regardless of adjustment, each exactly one quarter of an inch larger in width, increasing successive-ly from the first one adjacent the upper cross angle 31 along the upper tracks and back alongithe lower tracks to the last one nearest the lower cross angle 31. See diagram Figure 2. From this it will be seen that, because of the range of adjustment of the parts 62 being all the same, it is desirable that the gradually increasing relation of the original set be taken care of by making the fixed portions 57 of gradually decreasing length so that the range of adjustment of the machine as a whole will re-4 main the same throughout. For example: Consider that in the original set up of the machine we slide the parts 62 out to the outward limit of their adjustment (just opposite that position shown in Figure 17) and that with the parts all in this position, we mount them upon the cross angles 58, (the parts 57 having been manufactured in lengths each one-quarter of an inch shorter than the preceding one), the drop openings will be each one-quarter of an inch wider than the preceding one and the first of such openings will be of a width equivalent to the smallest box shook which would probably be fed through the machine at any time. From this manner of construction and application, it will be readily apparent that a uniform range of radjustment is possible in all the parts, equivalent to the length of the slots 60, and that when the parts 62 of each upper and lower track are moved simultaneously the desired graduation of all the drop openings 70 is simultaneously attained.

By reference to Figure 17, it will be seen that a board clearly too large to drop through a particular opening 70 will readily pass over the nose 65, but when a board barely larger than that opening 70 reaches the nose 65, it may have a tendency to 'drop and would partially'do so. This being the case, the box shook would engage the nose 65 and the cam curve 64 in the manner shown in dotted lines in the said Figure 17 and ride back up onto the trackway to be carried on and dropped into its proper compartment.

For simultaneously adjusting the drop members 62, I provide angle irons 71-71, one immediately beneath each track angle 10, and each said angle 71 is slidably supported on the front frame castings as at 72, on the medial supporting angle 74, as at 73, and has secured at its rear end a solid bearing block having a threaded aperture for receiving a screw bearing nut 75 which projects through a slotway 76 provided therefor in the frame castings 1-1. Each of the movable drop members 62 of theupper and lower trackw. ys has securely bolted to the end thereof, as shown in Figures 17 and 18, one end of a bracket member 77 (to the upper trackway) or 78 (to the lower trackway), as the case may be, and the other ends of these brackets are all securely fastened, in any approved manner, to the slidable angle irons 71, so that when the said angles 71 are moved longitudinally, all of the members 62 are caused to move simultaneously and to the same degree.

Means is provided for manually effecting the desired sliding of the angles 7l and the said means is in the nature of a set of operating screws 79, one thereof being provided for each angle 71. Each said screw passes through the threaded aperture provided therefor in the screw bearing nuts 75, has an abutment collar which engages one side of the bearing web of the frame casting l as shown (see Figure 5), and has fixedly mounted upon the end thereof projecting through said frame web, a small pinion gear 8l. rlhe said projecting end is provided with a squared portion 8O to facilitate the application of a wrench for the purpose of adjusting the single angle 71.

lWhile it is possible to thus adjust any singlc row of track elements simultaneously by moving a single angle 7l it is more desirable, during the usual use of the machine, that both the upper and lower trackways be adjusted simultaneously and so l provide an intermediate gear S2 which meshes with both the upper and lower gears 8l, and is mounted upon a stub shaft 83 secured to the web of the frame 1 and which includes a hand wheel portion Se for being hand engaged and turned to effect rotation of both the upper and lower screws 79 at once, thereby causing the simultaneous longitudinal movement of both the upper and lower angles in like degree. rlhe stub shaft 83 is sufficiently long to permit the sliding out of mesh of the intermediate gear 82 in order to permit the adjustment of a single upper or lower track, if desired, as above described.

As previously explained, the box shooks, in their course of travel through the machine, are conveyed over and are supported by the interrupted trackway 57, 62 and 65, and the continuous trackway 56, and, as has been explained, the interrupted trackway bears a fixed relation with the box shook travel, so that, when the length of box shooks being fed into the machine is changed, provision must be made to compensate therefor. This isaccomplished by laterally adjusting the continuous trackway 56 in a manner now to be explained. At the ends of each trackway 56 is fixedly secured a screw bearing nut 86 having a cutout portion 87 to accommodate the angles 3l or 85, as the case may be. A pair of long turning shafts 88-88 are disposed in adjacent parallel relation along the center of the machine` passing through bearing holes provided therefor in the various cross angles 3l,

58 and 85, and, at the foremost projecting ends of each of said shafts, a squared end S9 is provided for the application of a wrench or other implement for turning. At the juncture of the cross angles 3l and 85 (and also at the center cross angle 58 if the length of the machine makes same desirable) the shafts 88-88 pass through gear nests each having a flange 94- to be secured to the particular angle iron 3l or 85, and a cut out portion 93 for accommodating the said angles as shown. Within the gear nests the shafts 88 are provided with iixedly mounted driving gears which mesh with like gears 9i secured upon adjusting screws 95 which project laterally through bearings therefor in the gear nest sides and which have their threaded ends in screw relation with the screw bearing nuts 86, so that when the particular shaft 88 is rotated it will cause rotation of the screws 95 and effect uniform lateral adjustment of the particular trackway 56 throughout its length. The construction and operation of the adjusting mechanism of both thc upper and lower tracks 56 is the same. The bearing holes in the cross angles 58 for the shafts 818-88 may be reinforced by the application of small angle pieces, see Figures 2S and 29.

As has been before stated, the plan of the machine is to have an upper or forward travel track and a lower or rearward travel track with the drop openings 70 therein cach increasing one quarter of an inch in width from the rear to the front over the upper trackways and from the front to the rear over the lower trackways. See diagram Figure 2. From this figure the plan of the machine will be readily apparent and it will be seen that the machine includes twelve main box shook receiving compartments at each side and under the trackways and also, that each said main compartment is divided into two supplemental compartments so that in reality there are twenty-four compartments on each side of the machine, one under each drop opening 70. It will also be seen that, by reason of the graduated adjustment and relative positions of the openings 70, as hereinbefore described, the sum7 of the widths of any two shooks which are caused to fall into the two supplemental compartments forming a main compartment are the same throughout the machine. This is due to the systematic arrangement of the openings 70 as described, so that if one considers the plan of the machine in either direction, he will note that the increase at each compartment on one track is attended by an equal decrease on the other track at the same con'ipartment which causes a perfect balance of uniform aggregate widths such as the machine was set for. All the operator need do is to reach down into any main compartment, one hand in each of the sup- 

